What Your Team Is Thankful For: Winnipeg Jets
As we approach the end of the year, PHR continues its look at what teams are thankful for in 2022-23. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Winnipeg Jets.
Who are the Jets thankful for?
The emergence of Norriss-err, Morrissey this season has been a huge reason for the Jets’ early success, setting a career-high with 40 points through his first 35 games. There’s nothing like a true No. 1 defenseman to change the fate of a team, and after the disappointing 2021-22 season the Jets are right back in the Central Division playoff picture. Morrissey is playing more than 23 minutes a night, sits second in scoring among defensemen, and has quickly made the eight-year, $50MM contract he signed in 2019 look like a bargain.
At a $6.25MM cap hit through the 2027-28 season, Morrissey’s development has made it possible for the Jets to stay legitimate contenders moving forward. It wasn’t so long ago that things looked like a disaster in Winnipeg. The team was struggling, Mark Scheifele was a rumored trade chip, and Pierre-Luc Dubois wasn’t willing to commit long-term. But things are looking a lot better these days, and a big part of that is because of the outstanding performance of Morrissey every night.
What are the Jets thankful for?
The return of Vezina-caliber Connor Hellebuyck.
If things continue the way they are now, Hellebuyck is going to lead the league in saves for the fifth-straight season. But while he continues to strap on the pads nearly every night, the performance has gone up and down over the last few years. When he won the Vezina Trophy in 2020, he had a .922 save percentage. This season, he’s at .927. The improvement to team defense is part of it, but Hellebuyck has been outstanding so far, keeping the Jets alive every night.
He leads the league in shutouts with three and has already racked up 17.9 goals saved above average. Linus Ullmark‘s .938 save percentage and 20-1-1 record put him as the front-runner right now, but Hellebuyck looks like he’ll be right there when the Vezina voting takes place.
It’s simple. When you have one of the best goalies in the league, you have a chance for the Stanley Cup. Right now, the Jets have one of the best goalies in the league, and with Hellebuyck’s history, it’s hard to believe it will end anytime soon.
What would the Jets be even more thankful for?
Some better injury luck.
Even though they are in the mix and playing well, the Jets’ can’t seem to stay healthy. Mason Appleton, Nikolaj Ehlers, Saku Maenalanen, Nate Schmidt, Logan Stanley, and Blake Wheeler are all currently on injured reserve, while Cole Perfetti is also dealing with a more minor issue. That’s more than $25MM on the sidelines, and a group that could be considered an entire core of some rosters.
When Hellebuyck missed practice earlier this month, the heart of many Jets fans jumped into their throat, expecting the worse. The netminder was only dealing with an illness, but it showed just how delicate their success is right now. A few more injuries and they might fall completely off the table, a couple fewer and they might go on a dominant run. There’s a lot of talent on the Jets roster – if they can keep it on the ice, they have a good chance at contending in the Western Conference.
What should be on the Jets’ holiday wishlist?
Another center.
The thing is, there’s no guarantee that the team ever does get fully healthy. With so many wingers out, they have Adam Lowry playing the wing on the second line, meaning Kevin Stenlund and David Gustafsson are their third and fourth-line centers. You can think all you want that they have done a good job in a tough situation, but Gustafsson hasn’t scored a single goal in 34 games and Stenlund is a minor league veteran with fewer than 80 NHL games under his belt.
When someone comes back they will be able to use Lowry in the middle of the third line again, but if Winnipeg is going to make a real run they should shore up that position with a little more depth. They’ve had players like Andrew Copp, Bryan Little, and Paul Stastny in that role in the past to great success.
That’s not to say it’s the only hole. David Rittich as a backup is a little scary, and the third defense pairing has been a rotating cast of characters all season. But the team only really has three legitimate centers at this point. It needs to be a focus, if the Jets do anything at the deadline.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Saku Maenalanen Closest To Returning, Cole Perfetti Out Seven-To-Ten Days
The Jets have been banged up this season and there isn’t much short-term help on the horizon. Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe relays (Twitter link) that center Saku Maenalanen is the closest to returning and is about a week away. The 28-year-old has been a regular in the bottom six for Winnipeg this season, notching four goals and two assists in 25 games but has missed the last three weeks with an upper-body injury.
Arvid Holm Returned To AHL
- As expected, Arvid Holm has been returned to the minor leagues by the Winnipeg Jets, meaning Connor Hellebuyck has recovered enough from his illness to return to action. In his absence, David Rittich stopped 35 of 36 shots in a win over the Ottawa Senators, raising his save percentage to .909 on the year – his highest since 2018-19.
Blake Wheeler Placed On Injured Reserve; Arvid Holm Recalled
11:30am: Breathe, Jets fans. Hellebuyck is just dealing with a non-COVID illness and though he is not playing tonight, is expected to travel with Winnipeg to Boston and Washington.
9:15am: The Winnipeg Jets have moved Blake Wheeler to injured reserve following his groin surgery and recalled Arvid Holm under emergency conditions. That would suggest that one of the team’s regular goaltenders is injured (or at least unavailable), though no details have emerged yet.
Wheeler is expected to miss at least a month, hitting pause on a season that was going rather well for the former Jets captain. The 36-year-old winger had 26 points in his first 29 games, including nine goals. It took Wheeler 47 games to hit the nine-goal mark last season.
Holm, 24, has been excellent for the Manitoba Moose this season, posting a .923 save percentage in 12 appearances. No matter his success, though, Jets fans will be holding their breath until they find out if Connor Hellebuyck is okay. The veteran goaltender has been outstanding this year, and leads the league in games played, shots against, saves, and shutouts.
His .928 save percentage not only has him in the running for the Vezina but also the Hart, if the season ended today.
Hellebuyck played on Saturday and stopped 22 of 23 shots, while David Rittich started on Sunday and lost after giving up three goals on 34 shots.
Jets Issue Injury Updates On Blake Wheeler And Nate Schmidt
The Jets are off to a strong start to their season, entering tonight’s game in Vancouver with a 19-9-1 record despite missing several regulars due to injuries. That list has now grown as head coach Rick Bowness told reporters, including Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link) that winger Blake Wheeler will miss at least a month after undergoing groin surgery. Meanwhile, defenseman Nate Schmidt, who went on injured reserve yesterday, will be out for four to six weeks.
Wheeler had an interesting start to his season as the captaincy was taken away from him while getting off to a bit of a quiet start. However, the 36-year-old has been quite productive over the last four weeks, notching 16 points in his last 13 games, bringing him up to a tie for fourth in team scoring.
All of a sudden, the Jets find themselves without their top three right wingers. Nikolaj Ehlers has missed all of two games this season, Mason Appleton has been out since mid-November, and now Wheeler will be out for a little while. None of these injuries are season-ending so they can’t create any LTIR space for themselves and their cap space is starting to dwindle as a result of their injury-associated recalls so GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will be in tough to try to shore things up in the short-term.
As for Schmidt, he has cleared concussion protocol and is believed to be dealing with a shoulder issue. The 31-year-old has six points in 29 games so far this season while he’s averaging just shy of 20 minutes a night. He joins Logan Stanley as blueliners that are banged up while Ville Heinola has missed four straight games due to illness.
Nate Schmidt Placed On Injured Reserve
The Winnipeg Jets have quickly moved Nate Schmidt to injured reserve after he suffered an upper-body injury last night. After the game, head coach Rick Bowness confirmed to Murat Ates of The Athletic that Schmidt had been placed in the concussion protocol. In his place, the team has recalled Ville Heinola under emergency conditions.
Schmidt took a huge hit from Tanner Jeannot and stayed down, while the Nashville Predators forward did not receive a penalty on the play. With him exiting after just 5:30, the Jets leaned heavily on the trio of Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, and Brenden Dillon, with the latter even getting some unexpected powerplay time. Morrissey played more than 27 minutes in the overtime win.
It’s a good opportunity for Heinola, even if it does through an injury. The 21-year-old defenseman has been something of a squeaky wheel this season, with his agent publicly acknowledging frustration about how the Jets have used him. The 20th overall pick from 2019 can’t seem to secure any consistent NHL playing time, and has just 27 appearances over parts of four seasons.
Schmidt, meanwhile, had played in 29 games this season, averaging just over 20 minutes a night before exiting last night early.
Nate Schmidt Leaves Game Due To Upper-Body Injury
- The Winnipeg Jets announced tonight that defenseman Nate Schmidt has suffered an upper-body injury, and will not return to their game against the Nashville Predators. Schmidt appeared to suffer the injury after a high hit from Predators forward Tanner Jeannot. The loss of Schmidt costs the Jets one of their top-four defensemen, as he has skated in over 20 minutes per night, including time on the second units of both special teams phases.
Nikolaj Ehlers Still 2-3 Weeks Away
- The Winnipeg Jets are in a similar situation with their forward group, which is scoring plenty without the services of Nikolaj Ehlers. The team has put up at least five goals in seven of their last ten games, with Mark Scheifele now up to 18 tallies on the year. Ehlers, who is working his way back from sports hernia surgery, was on the ice yesterday and could potentially return in two to three weeks, according to Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun. The 26-year-old forward had three points in his first two games of the season before going under the knife.
Winnipeg Jets Claim Karson Kuhlman
The Winnipeg Jets have claimed Karson Kuhlman off waivers from the Seattle Kraken. Kuhlman ended up on waivers after Seattle claimed Eeli Tolvanen yesterday.
The move to add the depth forward comes after Jets head coach Rick Bowness was very clear about his frustration with the bottom of his lineup. Speaking with Murat Ates of The Athletic, he explained:
I’m not happy with that fourth line at all. Last game they had two goals against and they’re not generating anything. We’re going to give it a different look tonight.
That different look is with the recalled Kevin Stenlund centering but soon could mean Kuhlman’s addition as well. The 27-year-old has played in 114 games at the NHL level – 14 of them with Seattle this season – and has 26 points. A player that brings a lot of energy, he also has connections to some other Jets from his time in college, where he played with Dylan Samberg, Neal Pionk, and Dominic Toninato.
With the claim, the Jets will take on Kuhlman’s $825K salary and fill up their roster to the maximum of 23 players. Seattle would have been able to bury his entire cap hit in the minors, but given the deal is one-way, would have been on the hook to pay him the full salary even if Kuhlman was assigned to the AHL.
Winnipeg Jets Make Several Roster Moves
Dec 13: After the Jets returned Stenlund to AHL Manitoba for a short time, he’s back up under a regular recall now. That means he can stay even when everyone is healthy.
Dec 11: Earlier today, we covered how Winnipeg Jets players Logan Stanley and Saku Maenalanen would not be playing in today’s game against the Washington Capitals. Now, we have some more detail on each player’s situation.
The Jets have announced that Stanley and Maenalanen will be placed on injured reserve, which makes them unavailable until next weekend at the earliest. In a corresponding move, forward Kevin Stenlund has been recalled on an emergency basis from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moore.
This IR placement means Stanley, 24, will spend even more time away from the ice. The 2016 18th overall pick has skated in just seven games so far this season. He was activated off of injured reserve just three days ago, and had been out with a fractured foot since late October. Now, he’ll head back to injured reserve.
Maenalanen, 28, has not faced as much injury trouble this season as Stanley has. In 25 games Maenalanen has four goals and six points and has even seen some time on the Jets’ penalty kill. Maenalanen is in the middle of his return season after spending the past three seasons playing in his native Finland.
To fill a roster spot, the Jets have called up Stenlund. The 26-year-old Swede has been an important contributor for the Moose this season, scoring 14 points in 19 games. The big six-foot-four forward has 71 career NHL games on his resume and has 11 career goals.